


Interview

by birdcages7



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Billy is the town bike, High School Gossip, M/M, Oblivious Steve, Robin being protective, Rumors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdcages7/pseuds/birdcages7
Summary: Billy and Steve have a date. Robin has to make sure Steve's not about to get his heart broken.***Steve smiled and grabbed a bag from his locker before they both went out to the front together. Scoops was dead. They were closing in an hour anyway. Not much was left to do other than to just keep watch for potential customers and mop the floor.The guy stood in the middle of the floor was not a potential customer. Robin sighed a little to herself but kept up the game face. She'd been waiting for this. To have a little one on one chat with the infamous Mr Hargrove.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 12
Kudos: 170





	Interview

_ Tap tap. _

"Hey, sorry, he's here. It okay if I go change?"

Robin looked back at Steve through the swing door. He looked almost nervous, sheepish to be asking even though they'd agreed this was okay last week. 

"Sure. But remember you owe me for this," she said standing, grabbing the clipboard she was supposed to be doing inventory with but had just been sitting doodling on instead. Steve smiled and grabbed a bag from his locker before they both went out to the front together. Scoops was dead. They were closing in an hour anyway. Not much was left to do other than to just keep watch for potential customers and mop the floor.

The guy stood in the middle of the floor was not a potential customer. Robin sighed a little to herself but kept up the game face. She'd been waiting for this. To have a little one on one chat with the infamous Mr Hargrove.

Steve mouthed  _ five minutes _ to him as he scurried out to go change in the bathroom across the food court.

They had a date. It was all Steve had been able to talk about all day. But in that way where he didn't know if it was okay to talk about it, playing all shy and coy. Flustered. Like a girl would be. Robin didn't really care in all honesty. Well, she did. She cared in the way that she wanted Steve to be happy. It had been a long summer of spending nearly every day together. She felt she knew him pretty well by now, probably better than most other people knew him anymore. Steve was different from in high school that was for sure. He'd also been pretty open about his life, but in a very self deprecating Steve way. Always with the downwards spin.

Robin wasn't going to have her friend be upset by the town bike.

Because those were the rumours. She heard them everyday, shuffling through the halls of Hawkins High, lost in a sea of bodies and voices. Hargrove’s name was one that came up an awful lot. He was a seemingly school wide obsession.

Robin couldn’t fathom why. Could barely understand why Steve was interested at all, and not because of the whole  _ he has a penis, of course you don’t get it  _ thing _ , _ they’d gotten past that argument about a month ago when all this started. Or at least when Steve let it slip he might have a small crush on a  _ boy _ . She just didn’t understand why anyone would be interested or even give a sideways glance to someone who was notorious for just being an asshole. Not even a little one, like a major asshole. Someone who flirted with moms and daughters all the same. Someone who’s whole personality seemed to just be completely tailor made to either aggravate or seduce. With absolutely no middle ground or grey area in between.

They were in the same year, has statistics every Wednesday afternoon together. Every week Billy would saunter in and plop down at the same desk in the middle of the room so all eyes were on him, like the center of a hurricane, barely pay attention, pass notes around and wink to Jessica Korshe, who would always turn scarlet at his attention. At his stupid grin.

It wasn’t a jealousy thing. It wasn’t.

Billy grinned at Robin in the middle of Scoops when they were alone. He came in a cloud of something absolutely foul smelling that not even the industrial bleach in the back would cover. God she’d be smelling it for the rest of the week.

“Buckley.”

“Hargrove,” she bit back in the same cool tone, gesturing to a booth with her clipboard. “Sit. We need to talk.”

“Oh do we now?” Billy grinned, slowly moving towards the booth suggested anyway. If he thought this was a game…

“Yes.” Robin sat on the opposite side of the booth, flipping the paper over on the clipboard to a list of carefully cultivated questions.

Billy carried rumors around with him like the bad smell he’d dragged in. Robin had to make sure Steve was going to be okay. That whatever was going to happen between the two of them wasn’t just going to be a one and done situation that would break Steve’s heart. He didn’t deserve that. And he could do a damn sight better than Billy fucking Hargrove, but she wasn’t about to point out something that obvious. Being alone forever would be better than Billy fucking Hargrove. Getting punched in the face forever would be better than Billy fucking Hargrove.

Billy wore a smirk like a second skin. It was almost as if his face just naturally fell into that expression if it didn’t know what else to do. He did look more done up that at school though. Baby blue button down and bouncy curls. Maybe this was just what he wore for every date though, who knew. That part of the story changed constantly.

Robin cleared her throat, twirling the pencil around her fingers like a baton, sitting back and sinking into moderator. Normally she was debater, was pretty good at it too, but this wasn’t a debate. This was an interrogation.

“So, what are your intentions with my dingus?”

Billy chuckled, eyes never wavering. Steely if anything. The smirk remained hard. “My  _ intentions _ ? What are you, his mom or somethin’?”

Robin was ready for that, she’d been thinking about this little chat all day. All week in fact. Ever since Steve came bouncing into Scoops Tuesday morning with  _ amazing news Rob, you’ll never guess what!  _ She hadn’t, could never have guessed his news would be a  _ date _ announcement with the easiest lay in all of Hawkins, but that was besides the point.

“Listen, we both know, or at least  _ I _ know, that Steve doesn’t have anyone to watch his back, apart from that Dustin kid who keeps coming in here. I’m just making sure he’s not going into something he’s going to regret. So, what  _ are _ your intentions with him?”

Billy’s smirk faltered, if only for a small second. A crack in the facade. Robin had him. And it had been faster than she expected.

“My  _ intentions _ are that we’re gonna go to the movies. Ya’ know, the big thing above your heads all day long?” He bit slightly, that cool tone wavering being under pressure. Weird. Robin had thought he’d be cold throughout. Flirting with Jessica Korshe in math class cold. Just doing it for attention, never actually pulling the trigger with her. She didn’t seem like his type anyway. Didn’t show her body off like the other girls who told stories about him. There had to be a grain of truth in them somewhere, so many facts corroborated.

Apparently, Billy knew how to use his tongue. And that thought alone, along with seeing it poke out from between his teeth so up close and personal was not something Robin wanted to think about. Ever. 

“I know what the movies are, thank you.” She still noted it down anyway, even though Steve had said many times what their plan was. Had asked opinions on what the best movie to see would be since they got a discount being mall employees. Steve had talked about this damn date so much Robin felt like she’d already been on it with them. “Is it just the movies or are you disappearing off to the quarry afterwards?”

Billy’s smirk totally fell then. Like his secret had been rumbled.  _ Everyone _ knew it though.  _ Everyone _ knew if Hargrove asked you on a date you’d end up at the quarry, in the back of his dumb loud car. It was the punchline of every joke. 

Did Hargrove not know he was the town bike?

His face turned hard in rebuttal. “That wasn’t the plan, no. But I’m willin’ to see where the night goes. Why do you even care so much anyway? You jealous Buckley?”

Robin wanted to laugh. She didn’t, but she wanted to. “As much as this may come as a shock to your over inflated ego, I have  _ zero _ desire to even be this close to you. I’m just making sure my friend doesn’t do anything stupid. Like get his heart broken over you ‘cause you can’t keep it in your pants for more than two days.”

To Robin’s surprise, Billy chuckled and leant back in the booth, crossing his arms over his chest, blocking himself from further harsh truths. “You really think that low of me?”

“I have no reason not to.”

They stared at each other across the table. A stalemate. Robin wasn’t about to give up her position just as little as Billy was about to give up his. She knew far more about him than he probably ever realised. She wondered if he knew just _how_ _much_ was said about him everyday, how he had been the talking point of the whole school for nearly the whole year. It was impossible for him not to know, not with the size of his ego and hubris.

Seconds ticked by like hours. Billy was the first to fall. He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and let his arms loosen just a little. Robin stayed solid.

“He’s gonna be fine band geek, he’s a  _ big boy _ . He can look after himself.”

They both knew he couldn’t. Not really. Steve  _ survived _ . There was a big difference. He wasn’t stupid but he wasn’t overly smart. Robin was the brains, Steve was the brawn. That’s just how it worked. Heavy things needed lifting, that was Steve’s job. Arguing with a customer trying to use an expired coupon for a measly five cents off, that was Robin’s. Working to catch that big spider that lived under the back freezer that came in on a delivery of bananas, that was both of them working together, standing on chairs and trying to catch it by dropping empty ice cream tubs from above before dashing through the mall to toss it outside into a bush. They were a team. Robin had never had a friend like Steve before, she wasn’t about to lose him over a  _ boy _ . Over  _ Hargrove, _ of all assholes in Hawkins. She was sure if the roles were reversed he’d have her back in the exact same way.

Not that she’d never be stupid enough to fall for such a person, but anyway.

Billy backtracked on his previous statement at her silence. “Look, what’s it gonna take for you to know that he’s gonna be alright?”

Robin hadn’t been expecting that. All day she’d been gearing up for a battle of wits, a war of attrition. But he just  _ backed down _ ? And so easily too. Did he actually care about Steve? It was jarring. From all the stories Hargrove never backed down. Kept going and going until fists were flying and blood was splattered over the ground. Even over something small, it would build and build until a fight in the parking lot at the end of the day was inevitable. She couldn’t count how many times she’d had to side step brawls, seemingly half of the school year circled around Billy’s newest victim getting beaten into the dirt, just trying to get to the music room for practice.

It was nothing short of gladiatorial.

“Don’t take him to the quarry,” Robin said after a few short moments of thought. “We have a shift together tomorrow. I’ll know even if you swear him to silence.”

Billy eyed her curiously for a second, trying to work out her angle, thinking he was being smart with his question. “You got a crush Buckley?”

“On Steve? Please. I have  _ taste _ .”

Steve was the only person who knew Robin’s secret. She wasn’t stupid enough to blab that around town. She trusted him not to tell, not even Hargrove if this really was going to be anything more than just a one night stand affair. Maybe she’d need to face that one day, but not today.

Billy’s shoulders raised for a moment, before his body relaxed and an easy smile fell on his face. “Fine. I won't take him to the  _ damn _ quarry. Happy?”

“I will be if you keep your word.”

Their silent battle was interrupted by Steve coming back, sneakers squeaking on the tiled floor. Both looked up at him at the same time, green shirt and vest combo, hair carefully restyled in the men’s bathroom mirror. All traces of Scoops washed away.

“Hey, you guys getting on?” He asked hopefully. Robin let her eyes fall back to Billy’s, who was staring right back at her. Blue on blue. Almost as if he was daring her to say something. Obviously Steve knew nothing about her interrogation plans, he would only protest if he did. Say it wasn’t necessary and he could look after himself.

“Just peachy babe,” Billy smiled, almost smirked, getting to his feet to stand with Steve, more than ready to leave. “Come on, we don’t wanna miss the start.”

Robin stayed sitting, watching Steve go all doe eyed and soft for reasons she still didn’t understand. Maybe there was some goodness in there she just didn’t see, but she doubted it. Once an asshole, always an asshole. And Hargrove was still the biggest asshole around.

“Have fun dingus,” she smiled warmly, pointing the last part of her sentence towards Billy. “Don’t do anything  _ dumb _ now.” 

Steve just smiled and waved as they both left, not arm in arm or hand in hand, but walking close enough together they could almost be a couple. Of course, if this was a real thing for the both of them she’d back down, let Steve make his own mistakes and be a shoulder to cry on if and when it all went wrong. That’s what friends are for afterall.

She knew she’d hear about the quarry regardless. Steve couldn’t keep secrets like that to himself, especially if they made him happy, and he was out of high school now. It didn’t matter if Robin told anyone, not that she would. Who cared about what the former king of Hawkins High got up too on his weekends?

For now though Robin just hoped Billy wouldn’t break his hopeful heart. She’d kill him if he did. They still had a whole year of school left together to get through. It wouldn’t be that hard to sow seeds and destroy his reputation altogether.

Band geeks have their ways.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for indulging me on this one. I've had the idea in my head for months.
> 
> [Tumblr page.](https://bird-in-a-cage.tumblr.com/) Come ask me stuff! Headcannons more than welcome!


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